Observing and assessing children’s development

Getting the balance right when observing and assessing children’s development

When observing and assessing children’s development is is important to understand that it is not just about completing observations and filling in documents to show where children are at in their development, There are other important things to consider such as interaction; this is key to monitoring children’s development. Many practitioners often forget about this and will spend a considerable amount of time concentrating on paperwork. When Observing and assessing children’s development practitioners need to use their skills in order to get the balance right between interacting with children and completing paperwork.

When interacting with children, it can give practitioners a further insight into children’s development, understanding how they are learning and what further steps need to be put in place to help them learn further. Gathering information about children’s learning and development can be obtained in various ways, not just through observations and assessments.

Here are a few ways to help practitioners obtain information about children’s development;

• Settling in sessions – These are an ideal time to discuss with parents/carers about the child’s development. As Ofsted is very keen on children’s starting points, document these discussions with parents and file in children’s folders. It is highly effective to complete an on-entry assessment form 4 -6 weeks after the child started the setting. Practitioners should use observations conducted over the 4-6 period and decide on a best-fit judgement. Using the Early years Outcomes can help when making this decision
• Conducting Observations – Observations hold important information, detailing many aspects of children’s development. It is important to carry out observations regularly. However, it is more beneficial if there is a purpose to them. Don’t forget to record any language spoken, who they interact with,  etc. as these are crucial bits of information.
• Information shared from a 2-year integrated review– As all children at the age of 2 receive a health review by a health visitor, this can be an ideal opportunity to share informative regarding the child’s development. If a child attends a nursery, it is the key person responsibility to complete a two-year progress check, this is taken with the child to their health review. With parental permission health visitors will often share information about the review, expressing any concerns or informing the key person that the child is meeting all milestones expected for his/her age.
• Involve parents in sharing information –  As parents are children’s first educators, it is important that parents are regularly informed of children’s progress and they are encouraged to share information with the settings. There are many different ways to do this, why not create an at home interest tree that is displayed in the setting and encourage parents to contribute what their children are interested in at home. This information can then be taken by the key person and activities, and experiences  can be planned around the children’s interests. Building on children interests can help develop skills already learnt or can contribute to learning brand new skills.

When observing and assessing children’s development, it is important that practitioner fully understand their role in the observation and assessment process. Always reflect and evaluate your observation and assessment system and if this is not working for the child, adult or setting, then look at changing it.

As previously mentioned it’s about looking at ways to reduce paperwork and interact more with children, interacting with children is crucial, and this is something practitioners should never forget.